Not All Hope is Lost
by GeoDreddmor
Summary: Wanted dead as a child, Nodoka is "rescued" by Orochimaru, only to escape years later. At 19, Nodoka is one of the deadliest ninjas around. When she ends up in Konoha, the Naruto cast immediately see the good in her and befriend her. ItaxOC, SasxOC


Sorry I never continued with this story, life happened and I've had less time to work on this. I redid my first chapter, and wanna try continuing with this story hopefully.

~*Disclaimer: The o.c.'s in this fan fiction belong to me and all the characters of _**Naruto **_belong to _Masashi Kishimoto_*~

_**Not All Hope is Lost **_

**Chapter 1**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Okaasan, will you please tell me a story?"

"What? How can you expect me to waste time on you when I have to teach Kichiko the kekkei genkai?"

"Oh, okay. May I please watch?"

"You'd only get in the way. Go fetch water from the river and start dinner."

"Yes Okaasan," the young girl replied, defeated.

_Why does Okaasan only care about onee-san? She's only a few minutes older than me. We're twins, so what makes her more special?_

The young child crouched by the river bank and began skipping stones."I bet if I could perform the kekkei genkai, Okaasan would finally accept me!"

She sometimes shirked from her chores to watch her parents train her twin, so she ran off to a secluded part of the woods to practice what she remembered. After a few hours of practicing, she gave up.

*Pant pant* "I almost have it!" She exclaimed as she threw herself on the grass. Looking up towards the sky, she realized how much time had lapsed. "Oh, no! I forgot about dinner!"

**0o0o0o0o0o**

The young girl ran as fast as she could to her house hoping that her family was still training and hadn't noticed her absence. Upon entering her home, she realized that everything was unusually dark. A candle was suddenly lit and began to flicker, revealing that her mother had been sitting on a chair facing the door waiting for her to arrive. She froze in fear when she was caught in her mother's deathly glare.

"Where have you been?" she asked vehemently. "Don't you realize how important our training sessions are? We had to cut training short in order to prepare dinner! Kichiko even had to waste time getting the water _you _were supposed to bring back _hours ago_."

"I'm so sorry Okaasan! I… I... got lost…"

"Baka! How dare you lie to us?" Her mother rose from her seat and stepped towards her daughter. She slapped her across the face, knocking the poor child to the floor and then dragged her by her hair outside.

"For lying to me and dishonoring our family, you've left me no other choice but to punish you. Heh, perhaps now you won't make the same mistake again. Kichiko, go bring me my cane."

Kichiko ran inside and came back out with a cane made out of hard bamboo and gave it to her mother, who then initiated the punishment she promised.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

Lying flat on the ground, the young girl's body ached all over and welts soon formed on her back and legs. The young girl choked back her sobs as she painfully rose from the ground when her mother finally turned around to head back inside the house.

However, before her mother could take another step, Kichiko smirked at her sister then shouted, "Okaasan! When _I_ had to fetch water from the river, I saw _imouto-chan _attempting to practice the kekkei genkai!"

"What? You know you're not allowed to do that, you insolent brat, let alone near the river where someone might see you!"

As she was about to hit her child again, the young girl pleaded, "No, Okaasan! Please don't! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again!"

"Too late. Perhaps this time I'll finally be rid of my _little pest problem_…" She spat out icily.

"No, Okaasan!" She cried out in desperation.

As the cane was about to strike the poor child, a blinding light appeared, engulfing everyone and stopping the mother in her tracks. When the dust cleared, the bamboo cane was burnt to a crisp and a glowing marking was revealed on the palm of the young girl's left hand.

Full of disbelief, her mother blurted, "the kekkei genkai! You…have it? But how can this possibly be?"

"Okaasan, what's going on?" A confused Kichiko asked.

"From generation to generation, it's always been documented that the first-born child alone would inherit all of the genes for the kekkei genkai, leaving none for the next child... I don't understand how this could have happened... What she did, not even our greatest leaders could master..." Their mother trailed off.

Shortly after, a small mob came running towards the family's secluded home to investigate the strange phenomenon.

The main rule of this large territory was that anyone found using jutsus or possessing kekkei genkai would be killed off, for the leader of the empire feared that anyone with these skills could possibly rise up and overthrow him. The rest of the people were required to dispose of anyone found to be in possession of these skills.

"Leave us at once! You've been nothing but a problem for me since you were born!" The child's mother shouted. "This is no longer your home! "

The child, with tears in her eyes, had no choice but to leave the only home she'd ever known. She fled into the unfamiliar woods once she saw the malicious look in the eyes of her family and small mob. Though she didn't know where she was going, she hoped she could lose the mob in the dark, dense foliage. She managed to lose most of the people in the woods, but eventually two men found and cornered her.

"Looky here, we found the little girl. Why don't we have some fun before we kill her? Heh heh." One of the men chuckled disturbingly to his crony.

Frozen in fear, the little girl quickly shut her eyes and shouted for everyone to leave her alone. In the midst of her anguish, a familiar blinding light and crackling sound appeared once again. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that she was the only person who remained after the dust cleared.

"There's that light again. She's over here!" Someone shouted from nearby.

The young girl's blood chilled and she was about to run away, but she froze in her tracks after she heard blood curdling screams coming from the direction of the mob. She listened out for the people, but there nothing but an eerie silence was heard. Cautiously, the girl stepped forward.

"I see you possess a powerful ability, my dear child." She looked all around but saw no one.

"I can help you hone your talents if you come with me. I can also offer you protection. I already took care of all the mob after you…"

"Okaasan, Otousan, Onee-san…"

"What about them? Didn't they leave you for dead? You have no place to go to and no chance of survival if you refuse my offer. What do you say, child?"

She took a step in his direction. "I guess I don't really have a choice, do I? Will you at least tell me your name?"

"Of course. You may call me, Orochimaru-sama."

**0o0o0o0o0o**

Random memories of being punished by her family and her "savior," as well as images of innocent "test subjects," particularly children, being tortured, forced a young woman to wake up in a cold sweat.

_Why can't I forget these __memories__? I escaped from that place years ago and __he hasn't __come looking for me__ yet…__ Well, it's time for me to head out anyway._

After freshening up, she wrapped a scarf around her head that revealed only her eyes and her put on a traveling outfit that disguised her features and made her appear androgynous.

As she journeyed aimlessly, she heard a shuffling sound from behind. She pulled out her katana and placed the tip of it on her would-be attacker's throat.

"What do you want?" She asked threateningly.

"Some of the local crime organizations have placed a huge bounty on your head," he fearfully replied.

"Which organizations? Never mind. Look, I already have you in an unfavorable position and I'm willing to let you run back to whatever hole you crawled out of with your life still intact because you don't seem to be worth my time. So just leave me be."

She took the blade off his throat and without a word the man scampered off. However, instead of listening to her, he returned with fifteen more men a few miles later.

"There seems to be so many of you and only one of me. That's not fair. You might want some more backup," she said insolently.

The man who had failed to subdue her earlier stepped forward from the crowd.

"Nazoteki, you signed your death warrant by releasing me earlier. Now die!"

The men all charged at their target only for it to vanish in a puff of smoke when hit. Poison senbon needles appeared from the treetops and accurately brought down nine men. The remaining men nervously sought the source of the needles only to find Nazoteki leaning on the side of a nearby boulder behind them. She smiled at them then unsheathed her katana when they tried to attack her. She agilely avoided any blows and severed her enemies' weak spots. She cornered the man she released earlier.

"Seems to me that you're the only one left. I was hoping for more of a fight—I didn't even break a sweat. Given that you're the only one left, I want you to deliver a message to your organization."

"Yes, of course, anything!"

"I want them to know that anyone who comes after me will end up _like you_." And with that she sliced his jugular vein.

"Let's hope they receive my message," she smirked as she walked away from the scene of corpses.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

"What do you think is so special about this Nazoteki guy, Itachi? I mean, do you think he's even worth going after?"

"Well, I do not really care in particular about our target. All that matters is that we complete our assignment as soon as possible."

"Eh, I guess. You know, you're not much fun Itachi. You gotta learn to live a little, man."

"'Fun' is not what I seek nor deserve. Let us separate to speed up this task."

Kisame nodded his head and took off in the opposite direction. Itachi waited until he was sure Kisame was out of earshot, then fell to his knees coughing up blood.

_I do not have much longer. Sasuke needs to come after me soon_.

After searching for a while, Itachi collasped from weakness.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

After cleaning the blood off her katana in a spring, Nazoteki came across an unconscious body.

_Akatasuki? Out here? I guess I'll have to interrogate this guy._

She picked him up and carried him to a hidden cave behind a waterfall. She placed Itachi on top of some blankets and inspected him for wounds.

_Doesn't seem to have lost in battle. The blood around his mouth must be from an illness. I'll check his temperature._

She placed her ungloved palm on his forehead and all his memories suddenly became hers.

_Damn it, I forgot to put my glove back on. __He's__ lived such a sad existence; I can't possibly kill him __while he's in such a vulnerable state._

She cleaned him up, put a wet towel on his forehead, then laid him near the fire she set up.

_I might as well wash up before he comes to._

**0o0o0o0o0o**

A soft hand on his face, a wet towel on his forehead, and a feeling of ease—it was almost exactly how it felt whenever his mother cared for him when he was sick as a child.

"Okaasan?" he muttered.

He groggily sat up and tried to analyze his situation. _I know this isn't Kisame's doing, so whose is it?_

He weakly stood up and saw a strange outfit spread out near the cave's entrance. _It seems to match the description of Nazoteki's outfit, but __could it be __hi__s__? _

He cautiously walked outside of the cave and was shocked to see the sight before him: a beautiful girl bathing by the waterfall near the entrance of cave. As much as he tried to, he just couldn't take his eyes off her. He quickly felt embarrassed once she finally looked up and saw him watching her. Just as briefly as their gazes met, she was gone. Before he could even debate whether he was hallucinating or not, a katana found its way around his throat.

"What are your intentions, Uchiha Itachi?"

"How do you know my name? And _I_ should be asking _you_ that. I have no recollection of entering this place, let alone with you."

She turned him around, revealing that she was the woman bather, now wearing only a towel, and replied, "I found you unconscious on the forest floor and upon realizing that there has to be a reason for the Akatasuki to be this far from your hideout, I took you here so I could interrogate you when you awoke."

"I saw a uniform that matches Nazoteki's. Am I to assume that's you?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. What does your organization want with Nazoteki?"

"Either to recruit or to eliminate. I do not actually know for certain. We were sent on a retrieval mission."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not fond of either option, so end this search." She took the katana off his throat and headed towards the fire.

"You're ill. I managed to partially heal your body, but your eyes are the main problem, Uchiha. You won't survive long enough to meet up with your brother if you don't do something about it." She sat down in front of the fire and began combing her hair.

"How do you know those things about me?" he asked.

"Let me get dressed and then I'll tell you. Would you mind turning around?"

"How do I know you won't try anything?"

"You would be able to detect my movements with your Sharingan and plus I'm in a towel. What could I possibly be concealing? You can search me if you don't trust me."

He hastily turned around in reply.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

"You may turn around now." She wore a simple ninja outfit instead of her usual disguise.

"Would you like some tea as I explain?"

"No, thank you. Now speak."

"My, what a gentleman," she sarcastically replied.

"As I healed you, I touched your forehead to check your temperature, but forgot to put my glove back on first. I have this mark on my palm that transfers the most important memories of whoever I touch with it to me, so I know the most significant parts of your past and your current dilemma. I can work on healing you in a few days in this exact spot in exchange for you getting the Akatasuki to end this search. I enjoy my privacy, you know."

"How do I know this isn't a trap; that you'll try to kill me instead?"

"First off, if I wanted to kill you I would've done so already. And secondly, you could easily tell the others who and where I am when you leave, which means I trust you, although I'm not entirely sure why—maybe because I feel for you. Plus, I don't kill unless I have to."

He raised his eyebrow acknowledging her points. "I do not need your pity. However, I will uphold my side of the bargain if you will."

"That's what I wanted to hear. And please call me Nodoka. See you soon then. Ta ta for now," she said as she vanished in a puff of smoke leaving Itachi to process everything that had just happened.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

He managed to convince the Akatasuki to redirect their focus on other prospective members and left to rendezvous with Nazoteki a week later, as promised. She kept her word and managed to heal him more and more with each meeting. They learned more about each other and grew closer with each healing—despite how much they fought.

"A couple more healings, Itachi, and you'll be as good as new. I'm so close to figuring out how to save your eyes."

She snuck a peek at him and noticed that he was lost in thought.

"You're thinking about your brother, aren't you? Don't tell me you still plan on fighting him? You know, you should just explain everything to him instead of challenging him. If he grows mad with revenge and power, it'll only end in catastrophe."

He looked away from her eyes and bluntly stated, "It's something I have to do."

"It's not the _only _thing to do. I'm telling you, having him fight you without knowing the truth is the _wrong_ thing to do. The way you've treated Sasuke, though intentionally good, has been the wrong way to go about it. And I know your the memories that you plan to let him kill you…"

She looked away from him then proceeded in an earnest tone, "You can't end it like this. Look, you're almost completely healed. You'll be strong enough to think of and handle a new approach. If you do, this whole ordeal will have a happier ending for everyone involved."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I should've just let you die if you were just planning to kill yourself anyway! If you don't take my word and end up de—! "

Itachi interrupted her by placing a finger on her lips. He looked her in the eyes until she turned away so he wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Thank you."

She looked at him confused, still fighting to urge to cry.

"Thank you, for all that you've done for me. Yes, you've healed me physically, but you've also healed me emotionally and mentally as well. I've never felt free enough to be myself and forget about the constant hell I live in. I don't have to worry about being the best at everything with you, to impress you, or have to obey orders that only end in pain and suffering. The only person I've ever felt this way around and cared about is my younger brother Sasuke, who doesn't know why everything turned out the way it did. The two of us have to settle this alone, in our own way, understand?...Yet, when I'm with you I feel at peace and forget about everything I've done and need to do. However, I don't deserve to forget what I've done and to feel…the way I do…and being around you is distracting me from the plans I've already made. You're bad for me."

She moved her lips to say something, but Itachi placed his finger on them again to stop her.

"Shh, please hear me out. You're bad for me because you're too good for me. I realized that the first time I laid eyes on you, even though you almost killed me for doing so. I knew there was something different about you and you intrigued me. You're an enigma to me; I can't figure you out but I can't stop myself from wanting to try. You haven't been able to leave my thoughts every time I'm not with you…I don't deserve you and everything you could ever give me: peace, happiness, love, a…a family."

She looked up at him after hearing that last sentence. The tears she'd been holding back finally left her eyes as she stared into his. She couldn't move, couldn't speak. All she could do was watch him with tears in her eyes as he finished saying what was on his mind.

"I feel the way I did around my brother when I'm with you, but it's also something I've never felt before. You've not only healed my body, you've managed to heal my heart."

He pulled her towards him as she wept and kissed her. Her eyes opened in shock and he feared she'd reject him, but she surprised him when she kissed him back.

"I've never had anyone feel this way about me and I've never felt this way about anyone, either. Itachi…I think…I think I love you…" she whispered in his ear.

He didn't know what else to say, so he kissed her again. And again. They lied down together on the blankets near the fire and ended up spending the entire night together.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

Hours after they fell asleep, Itachi woke up. He cherished the feeling of her in his arms and the image of her beautiful sleeping face on his chest. It pained him to get up and leave the warmth of her body, but he knew he had to go through with his plans.

I don't know what came over me. What caused me to pour my heart out, to feel these emotions and finally share them with someone? Her presence has such an effect on _me_. _I finally feel at peace and actually…happy. And because of that, no matter how good our life could be if I listen to her, I have no choice but to do the one thing I don't want to do: leave her_.

He felt he didn't deserve her and would be eternally grateful to have spent this one, beautiful night with her, yet forever regretful because he'd want to have many more nights like it.

He grabbed his stuff and headed towards the entrance of the cave, but couldn't resist having one last look at her. He regretted doing so. _I don't want to leave her! But I have to do this_…

He felt conflicted and wanted to punch a wall or something. He grabbed his head and fell to his knees until his emotions settled down. He hesitantly walked over to where she was and kneeled down next to her.

He brushed the hair out of her face and gave her one last kiss on her forehead.

"Forget all about me, please. I'm not worth it…"

Even though he wanted her to forget all about him, he took off his necklace and placed it in her hand.

He slowly stood back up and took one last look at her. He then walked out of the cave without glancing back.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

He wasn't there when she woke up the next morning and she didn't know what she felt. She finally opened her heart to someone and after what happened, he was gone. She felt used, betrayed, hurt—yet she couldn't completely hate him.

After their last night spent together, Itachi never showed up again. She knew he chose his plan to die at Sasuke's hands over her, but still she waited every night for the next two weeks for him to return. He never came back to her. She felt brokenhearted, but instead of crying or getting revenge, she repressed her emotions and continued traveling.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

**The direction I was planning to take this story has changed from when I originally thought it up (hopefully for the better). Unfortunately, I have forgotten some of my Naruto knowledge and forgot certain shinobi terms and moves ^^', so perhaps you, the readers, can help fill in the blanks to make it a better fanfic?**

**Comments, suggestions, and corrections are ****always ****welcomed.**

**Thanks for reading**** (again) **


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